How would you like to manage communications for Woodland Hills School District in Pittsburgh? Okay, then what about superintendent, where the buck stops when it comes to crises like student safety? I wouldn't want to be a student there, let alone a staff leader.
Police in Swissvale borough are investigating two fights that happened at a school bus stop that involved as many as 70 adults and Woodland Hills students Monday and Tuesday. Police said they're using surveillance video of the fight to identify those involved. So far they've identified 15 people, including 10 students from Woodland Hills junior and senior high schools and five adults.
"'Everyone will be arrested. Anyone with any involvement at all will be arrested,' Swissvale Police Chief Greg Geppert said. Geppert said it is not clear what started the fights." (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/01/10/Pa-police-investigating-70-person-fights/UPI-56801357835174/?spt=hs&or=tn)
Police can make arrests, but they can't arrest whatever it is that draws these people into fights. I can only assume at this point that school officials are on guard against hostilities spilling into the classroom, including a student or one of those so-called adults showing up with a gun. The Swissvale police website claims two school resource officers are members of the force, but no word on whether they carry weapons.
Note to NRA: Your armed school guard will be the first one shot.
The latest brawls aren't the first. Check out YouTube to see "Eleven children are taken into custody by Swissvale police after a fight outside Woodland Hills Junior High School (posted March 3, 2010)." Two police were injured. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TruNJnIBf1g)
A fight posted July 31, 2012, doesn't show much, but you can hear a lot of screaming. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS3rycz7ck0) Then watch some crude after-dark phone footage of a Swissvale fight last October at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx7jQlOHEoI. The second fight of this week is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdCoC1gDYNk, among other places.
I grew up in a family and within a subculture where fighting was frowned upon. My dad said there is less shame walking away than getting into a fight. That's not what all dads tell their children. My community relations work in the '90s and the '00s took me into the homes and lives of an impoverished community. There it was an act of cowardice to avoid a fight. I heard parents chastise their children for not standing up to a bully; for telling the teacher instead of bloodying a nose. Same goes for girls as it does for boys.
A community where dozens of adults and teens turn a bus stop into the Jerry Springer Show is a community that values physical violence as a large part of their self-worth. Good luck to the Woodland Hills leadership. The homepage of the district acknowledges this week's fights.
"The Board of School Directors and Administration of the District are appalled at this incident and we wish to assure all members of the Woodland Hills community and all friends of the Woodland Hills School District that the persons responsible for this will be held fully accountable. We are working closely with the Swissvale Borough Police Department and other police agencies to identify any and all individuals who may have been involved in this incident and who are also Woodland Hills School District students. Maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students is the first priority of this school district. Any student found to have been involved in this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent that our Student Code of Conduct, Board policies and the Pennsylvania State School Code allow." (http://www.whsd.net/index.aspx)
I think its all fine and necessary to address the bus stop fights that are making national news. Personally, I don't care for the direction the statement took after the above excerpt. This seems obvious and defensive: "And finally, we hope that everyone bears in mind that this was a small number of students out of the 4,000 plus young men and women who attend our schools. The vast vast majority of Woodland Hills School District students are hard working, friendly and dedicated to getting the best education available anywhere."
I think we all know that. Instead, tell students and parents what measures you are taking to keep the violence from spreading to the schools. There's nothing here that's reassuring.
Keep your ears open for more news from Swissvale and Woodland Hills. See if there's more fighting and how the school district gets back to educating its students.
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1 comment:
"NRA: Your armed school guard would be the first to be shot". What a comment to make. Sure he or she would be the first target but so are cops and army personal.The armed school guard would be trained, more then likely have body-armor and more then enough training to handle the situation before it got into the school. That is the point of them being there, to draw the situation away from the school, and handle the problem.
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